Canteens & Bars FAQs

Controls are regularly carried out by a specialised external company, IISG srl: monthly inspections are taking place without prior notice, to take and analyze samples from all kitchens and refrigerators.

It is strictly forbidden to reuse food supplied the day before, that's why leftover food is binned.

All canteen operators involved in the preparation and distribution of food are obliged by law to follow a systematic and preventive approach in order to keep food safe and protect users' health. This procedure is called HACCP, which means Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, and is used in the food industry to identify potential food safety risks and to establish actions to be taken in order to reduce or eliminate such risks.

Most products contain fairtrade primary ingredients, and some are produced on confiscated lands previously owned by Mafia bosses. For further information see Altromercato and Libera websites.

The company that manages canteen and bar services is obliged to recruit its employees under the Collective Labour Agreement, which regulates rights and duties of workers.

Every operator working in canteens and bars regularly attends food safety training courses on safe procedures, such as preparation and cooking, checking the quality of supplied ingredients, food storage, handling products when serving customers, cleaning and sanitizing, transport and delivery of dishes to smaller canteens.

The current contractor for catering services is Villa Viviani, selected on the basis of an open tender published in 2008 for the innovations presented in their technical proposal: introduction of detailed specifications on primary foodstuffs, compliance with global fair trade standards, and procedures for the reduction of environmental impact.

Ingredients are listed below:

STILL AND SPARKLING WATER: Water (still and sparkling) with microfiltration system authorized by the Italian Ministry of Health.

ORANGE JUICE: Water, sugar, orange juice concentrate, citric acid, flavorings. Added preservatives: sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, sulfur dioxide (residual), antioxidant L, ascorbic acid

COLA: Water, sugar cane, flavorings, caramel color E150d. Acidifier: phosphoric acid, vegetables, caffeine. Added preservatives: sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate

ACE - ORANGE/CARROT/LEMON: Water, sugar, orange juice, carrot, lemon, citric acid, flavorings, Cyclam sweeteners, aspartame, acesulfame, saccharin. Added preservatives: sodium benzoate, sulfur dioxide residue. Stabilizer: E415, antioxidant L, Ascorbic acid, dyes E110, E122.

LEMON TEA: Water, sugar, flavorings, tea extract, citric acid, lemon juice, Coloring E150d, Cyclam sweeteners, aspartame, acesulfame, saccharin. Added preservatives: sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, antioxidant L, ascorbic acid.

The portions of food served in all EUI canteens are calculated on the basis of dietetic tables provided by the company in the tender. These tables reflects the indications of the LARN (Reference Level of Nutrients and Energy)

The contractor is contractually obliged to respect for each dish served the portion size described in the dietary tables provided in the tender. The Institute, with the collaboration of an external company and without notifying the canteen staff, periodically verifies that the portions served to users comply with the requirements documented in the tender, while taking into account variations due to peeling, defrosting and cooking.The last audit was conducted in  2019 and the results were satisfactory on a whole (see results).

No, it's not possible, but you can vary the composition of the dishes by choosing the combined "points" menu option.